


The Sideburn Theory

by satbiym



Category: Great Pretender (Anime)
Genre: Gen, Meta, Season 2 Speculation, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25384054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satbiym/pseuds/satbiym
Summary: Analysis-based-speculation for the upcoming episodes of Great Pretender.Note:Not in traditional fic format.
Relationships: Edamura Makoto & Laurent Thierry, Laurent Thierry & Seiji Ozaki
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	The Sideburn Theory

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> This piece was originally [posted on Tumblr](https://satbiym.tumblr.com/post/623706369580793856/ok-stay-with-me-because-its-gonna-be-a-bumpy-and) on July 15th 2020!
> 
> Happy Reading!

Ok, stay with me because it’s gonna be a bumpy and speculative ride…

## Level 1: Laurent Been Knew

Every time I watch Great Pretender I am struck by just how… fond and familiar Laurent’s smiles towards Edamura are.

Like, this is _not_ how you smile at someone you met a day ago, esp when they’re not looking…

And, it is weird how someone as sly and world-weary as Laurent has an infinite wealth of belief in Edamura’s innate _goodness_. How he never stops believing in Edamura even when Edamura himself doesn’t seem to believe it.

and, in true Laurent fashion, plans _around_ that goodness to ensure that he gets what he wants as well.

See, case 2, when Edamura basically went off-script and Laurent, instead of kicking him off the team, renovated the room as a workaround.

Laurent seemed to be… anticipating and even expecting Edamura’s nosiness, because…

and hear me out here…

_This is not the first time he has borne witness to the extent of Edamura’s goodness._

i.e, Edamura and Laurent… they’ve met before.

Only, Edamura wasn’t called _Edamura_ then, was he?

He was known as the son of his father - Seiji _Ozaki_.

And now i’m just… gonna leave this exchange here:

Notice the split second surprise on Laurent’s face when Makoto tells him his name before he catches himself and makes a joke out of it and plays it off.

Now where could Laurent have met Edamura before, well…

## Level 2: We need to talk about Makoto’s dad…

So, it’s odd, right?

How it all goes down with Makoto’s dad? How one day he’s a hot-shot lawyer fighting evil and an inspiration for his son and loving wife and the next he is involved with a human trafficking ring?

It’s all so sudden and public and completely destroys the human trafficking ring and the people involved with it…

now if you’re getting deja vu bells right now, I don’t blame you because that modus operandi sounds very familiar, right?

It’s how Laurent’s gang works.

It’s almost as if… Laurent and his gang went undercover to con (and destroy) the ring and were the ones to ultimately bring it down.

And if Laurent, as he so often does, was the one to go undercover, could he have possibly met and even _interacted_ with one of the key players of the ring, who was name dropped on TV?

Even… could Laurent have been _friends,_ of sorts, with Makoto’s dad, Seiji Ozaki, before his fall from grace?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

But if they _were_ friends, surely Seiji Ozaki would have proudly spoken about his son, the one who wanted to be _just like him,_ who was good and kind and bright.

Maybe Seiji Ozaki even took undercover Laurent to his home to introduce him to his son.

But then, the question arises, if Makoto’s dad was such a scumbag, why would Laurent so stringently believe in Makoto’s innate goodness?

I present 2 possibilities:

Possibility #1: Makoto was the one to, unknowingly, reveal the final key information to Laurent that destroyed the ring.

Maybe it could have been because Laurent took advantage of Makoto’s naivete or because children just word vomit important information and observations they have inadvertently absorbed.

Or,

Possibility #2: Seiji Ozaki was framed for a crime he didn’t commit

Maybe it could have been to keep his family safe if he took the fall for someone else or something else. But, there is a good possibility Ozaki was framed.

Why?

Well, do these styles look a bit… similar to you?

Yes, ok, laugh and call me a Sideburn Theorist but…

Why would Laurent style himself after the image of a man who was involved in a human trafficking ring? especially in front of his son?

and maybe I’m reading too much into this, or maybe Laurent believes in Makoto’s goodness because he still regrets his one oversight which led to Ozaki going to jail, destroying Makoto’s entire life and hospitalizing his mother.

And maybe when Laurent went to visit Ozaki, all Ozaki would say: _don’t worry about me, just take care of Makoto, please. He’s a good boy._

_and so Laurent did._

By the only way he knew - by conning him into a life Makoto could be proud of.

## Level 3: It’s all connected

Remember this painting?

You might, considering you saw it twice in 2 different cases (case 1 and 4).

And sure it might be a coincidence, or…

knowing that Laurent has been pulling the strings to kick off at least case 1 and 4… it could be that those cases are part of a longer con.

a longer, hm, attempt at justice, if you will.

And what is the one injustice that happened on Laurent’s watch, even… _because_ of Laurent?

Seiji Ozaki’s wrongful imprisonment.

And so, I present forth my final theory:

Great Pretender is Laurent and Makoto’s redemption arc to right their past mistakes.

Makoto’s is turning to a life of conning the vulnerable, Laurent’s is clearing Ozaki’s name.

QED

**Author's Note:**

> Well, what did you think? Do you agree, disagree or are still on the fence? Let me below in the comments!
> 
> I am on...  
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> 
>  **IMPORTANT NOTE**  
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